CHIC TUTORIAL:

CANS Reporting Using the Excel Interface

Michaela Voit, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

04/27/18

This tutorial provides a brief walk-through of how to enter your CANS assessments into the Cedar Rapids Collaborative CANS Interface.

The CANS Reporting Interface allows you to:

  • Record multiple CANS assessments for a given case
  • See case-level CANS reports, to monitor treatment progress across time
  • Create a treatment plan for your case based on actionable CANS items
  • Export raw data for upload to the TCOM Upload Form – these will be used for agency-wide and collaborative-wide reports

1) Entering your assessment

Step One

For each new client, open the application by clicking the on the CANS Assessment file on your desktop (or wherever you have saved it). Click enable content so that the interface can work properly.

   

Step Two

After opening the file, several worksheets are available in buttons on the Home Page, also accessible at the bottom of the screen in tabs.

   

Start by clicking Assessments and entering ALL information into the Youth Information, Primary Contact Information, Family Structure, and Family Care Team headings. Enter only valid dates into date fields – other text will prompt an error message.

   

Note that the Youth ID is auto-generated by the form and should not be altered.

Step Three

You are now ready to enter the assessment information below. For each assessment section you need to:

  • provide the assessment date in the top left cell of the section
  • identify the rating for each item, and
  • offer a brief description where needed

Ratings can be entered using the drop down box or by typing into the field.

   

Note that if items with asterisks next to them are rated a 1, 2, or 3, their corresponding module will open below. For example, if the Legal item in the Life Functioning Domain is marked as a 3, the Juvenile Justice module will open up, so that ratings can be entered there.

   

2) View your Interactive CANS Reports

Step One

From the Home Page, click the Data Reports button to navigate to the reporting page.

The graphs in this section will allow you to view CANS ratings for this case across as many assessments as you have entered in the Assessments page in the previous section.

   

Step Two

If you have just entered new data, click Refresh Chart Data to see all existing assessment data.

Each domain has a bar chart showing all item ratings in that domain, across each assessment recorded in this CANS Assessment and Plan document.

   

Step Three

Below each graph, note the blue rectangles that contain the names of of Items and of each Assessment Dates entered on the Assessments page. In the example below, you can see that two assessments have been entered, one on 1/15 and one about three months later on 4/12.

To view just one item in a domain, click the relevant item – it will stay highlighted in blue, and all others will white-out. All highlighted items will display in the graph above.

   

To view multiple items, use the slicers:

  1. First click a single item
  2. Hold down CTRL on your keyboard
  3. Then click the desired items and assessment dates
  4. Release CTRL to see your filtered chart
  5. To reset your filters/slicers, click Reset Chart Slicers at the top of the page.

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3) Create a Treatment Plan

Step One

On the home page, click the Treatment Plan button to navigate to the printable Treatment Plan tool. You will see that the information you entered on the Assessments page has auto-filled to this plan here. That text can still be modified if you edit it on the Assessments page.

   

You will also notice that identified needs in the most recent assessment have auto-filled to the column on the far right of your screen – these options will be available to you as Treatment Target Needs on this page.

   

Step Two

Describe your first Intervention Goal in the Intervention Goal text box.

   

Step Three

Using the drop-down in Treatment Target Needs, choose from among the identified needs in the case’s most recent assessment.

   

As you select target needs, they will be crossed off of the list to the right – this is to keep track of needs that have been included in the plan, but you will be still be able to select any repeated needs in the drop-down on this page.

Step Four

Describe; the Action Steps, the person who has Responsibility for completing the step, and the Target Date. You can complete up to six for each goal.

   

Step Five

If you would like to add an additional Intervention Goal, click the check boxes next to the goal label to open additional fields (the black masking will be removed, allowing you to type in more goals and details). This document allows for up to 9 Intervention Goals.

   

Step Six

To print your Treatment Plan (or save to PDF), click the Print Treatment Plan button in the top right corner. Select your printer to print (or save to PDF).

   

4) Export your CANS Data for UPLOAD

Step One

Open the saved assessment file, bringing you to the home page. Click the Export Assessment Data button, and a new Excel workbook will open.

   

You will be asked to select a folder where you would like the export file to be saved. A file name will then be auto-generated for you.

Step Two

This file will saved to the folder – it should be uploaded to the TCOM Upload Form according to your agency’s protocol for uploading export files.

   

If you experience any errors with your interface document, please reach out to us at the CHIC Helpdesk, so we can work out a solution together.